


between the center of the earth and a fallen tree

by quiddative



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Anal Sex, Barebacking, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Established Keith/Shiro (Voltron), Established Relationship, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Fluff, Future Fic, Ignores Kuron, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Mostly Season 5 Compliant, POV Third Person Limited, Shiro (Voltron)-centric, Team Voltron Family, Team as Family, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-16
Updated: 2018-04-16
Packaged: 2019-04-21 04:40:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14277120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quiddative/pseuds/quiddative
Summary: “Go get ‘em, tiger,” Hunk encourages, slapping a hand on his back. “Remember, you’ve fought tons of Galra before and won.”“Yeah, but I never had to fight my potential mother-in-law before,” Takashi grumbles.Hunk shrugs, looking annoyingly unsympathetic. “Well, you’re the one who liked it enough to put a ring on it,” he says philosophically. Then he abruptly pushes Takashi into the ring, where Krolia is patiently waiting like the Big Bad Wolf lying in wait for Little Red to come closer.(Or: the one where Shiro has a moment of introspection, proposes, has a few more moments of introspection, and gets married.)





	between the center of the earth and a fallen tree

**Author's Note:**

  * For [roromir](https://archiveofourown.org/users/roromir/gifts).



> Hi roromir, I was your VLD Ship Exchange gifter! Writing this was a blast and I tried to incorporate as many of your prompts as I could, so this basically became 19k words of incredibly self-indulgent Sheith fluff with a dash of smut. Please enjoy!
> 
> PS I've included a hyperlink to a piece of audio near the end of the fic that I thought went really well with the scene but it was a purely self-indulgent decision on my part and listening to it is entirely optional.

It’s actually Lance who plants the idea in his head.

Five years after they first formed Voltron and one year after Allura dealt the final devastating blow against Haggar by turning her magic on her, they’re raiding another one of the witch’s secret labs when Keith gets shot.

Luckily, it’s not a very deep wound. In fact, judging by how Keith’s only reaction is an annoyed grunt, it’s a graze more than anything else and it’s hardly the first time it’s happened. But that still doesn’t stop Takashi from unleashing his bayard and arm (an improved Altean model Pidge, Hunk, and Coran built for him) on the sentries responsible with extreme prejudice.

When it’s all over and Pidge announces that they’ve successfully secured the base over the comms, Takashi rushes to Keith’s side. “You alright?” He grabs Keith’s uninjured shoulder and brings the younger man around to face him, eyes rapidly scanning his partner’s face for any signs of pain. 

Keith lets out an annoyed huff but squeezes Takashi’s hand in reassurance anyway. “I’m fine, Shiro, don’t worry about it,” he scolds. But his voice is soft and full of long-suffering affection, which warms Takashi down to his bones.

“Listen to him,” says Lance, who is already tending to the wound using an emergency medkit all the Paladins are equipped with. “‘Tis but a flesh wound,” he says loftily, clearly quoting something. “But seriously, Shiro, he’s fine, even if he’s a giant _dumbass_ for getting shot in the first place. You’re like a helicopter husband.”

“Don’t call me a dumbass when you’re the one who nearly got his head blown off trying to kick a sentry in the face yesterday,” grumbles Keith but there’s no venom in his voice like there used to be years ago. He pauses and his gaze turns sly. “Does Lotor know? You know how worried he gets when his _little Lionheart_ gets hurt.”

“Nope, and you’re going to keep it that way if you know what’s good for you,” Lance says loudly. “Sorry, Shiro, but I won’t be responsible for anything that happens to your hubby if he doesn’t keep his mouth shut.”

“ _So, does this mean Lotor and Lance are on again or off again?_ ” asks Allura. “ _I can never tell with you humans_.”

“ _Trust me, Allura, your guess is as good as ours_ ,” Pidge replies over Lance’s indignant squawks.

“And we’re not married,” Takashi says mildly, mostly because he’s still hopped up on adrenaline and feels restless standing around without contributing to the conversation in some way.

Lance shoots him the flattest, most offended look Takashi has ever seen from the younger man, and that’s saying something considering it’s...well, _Lance_. “Dude, you’re kind of married in all but name only.” He sounds like he can’t even believe he has to say those words out loud.

“ _It’s true,_ ” Matt’s voice chirps in from the comms. “ _Even back when we were in the Garrison, you two were pretty much surgically attached at the hip. I was actually surprised you weren’t already dating._ ”

“ _Does anyone else remember Keith’s 'military wife waiting for her husband to return home from the war’ phase when Shiro went missing?_ ” adds Pidge.

Allura groans.

“ _God, yes_ ,” Hunk says darkly.

Keith sputters and flushes, his normally pale face turning into a lovely shade of rose pink. It’s kind of adorable but Takashi doesn’t dare say that out loud because he enjoys living, thank you very much. “I wasn’t that bad!” he protests. 

“Nah, you really were,” Lance says cheerfully. Done with Keith’s wound, he packs up his medkit and pats him on the back. “But that’s okay, we still love you for who you are...” he pauses and a smirk that can only be described as pure evil spreads across his face, “...Mr. Shirogane.”

Keith takes a swipe at him but Lance nimbly dances out of the way, cackling in time with everyone’s giggles. “I hate you all,” Keith grumbles.

But Takashi barely pays attention as his brain screeches to a halt at Lance’s words. _Mr. Shirogane_.

 _Mr._ Keith _Shirogane_.

The name stubbornly latches itself onto his mind, playing itself over and over again like a song on the radio.

Now that the danger is mostly over, Takashi’s eyes automatically rove down Keith’s body to check for any other injuries, as well as remind his brain that he’s _there_. He’s real, alive, and _safe_. 

Keith is taller now, almost at eye level with Takashi and the same height as Lance (the indignant shriek Lance let out when he realized that was hilarious). His shoulders have filled out more as well, showing off powerful, hard-earned muscles developed through years of training and war.

What little Takashi can see of his face that isn’t obscured by his helmet is covered in scars, with the most prominent one running down his right cheek just below his eye and going all the way down his neck. Strands of his midnight black hair are plastered messily over his forehead and cheeks from sweat.

Even under the sickly lavender lighting of the lab, he is still the most beautiful thing Takashi has ever seen. 

 _Keith Shirogane_. 

It has a nice ring to it.

* * *

It wasn’t love at first sight. Actually, it was—and still is—an endless series of moments defined by Keith finding new and creative ways to steal Takashi’s breath. Burrowing deeper into his heart, little by little, until Takashi no longer knows where he ends and where Keith begins.

The first time Takashi fell in love with Keith was at the Garrison, a year before Kerberos. Iverson dragged him to observe the newest intake of students in the fighter pilot class. Specifically, he wanted to show off the “admittedly promising but mouthy brat” whose entrance scores rivaled Takashi’s.

“See what you make of him,” grunted Iverson as a bored looking Asian teenager with almost shoulder-length, just-on-the-border-of-non-regulation hair entered the simulator.

Takashi didn’t fall in love when Keith absolutely crushed the simulation in record time. Nor afterwards when he stepped out of the machine idly flipping his hair over his shoulder and consequently making most of his classmates swoon.

Iverson rolled his eyes and barked for him to come over. Instead of being cowed by him like Takashi would have been during his freshman days, Keith merely raised an eyebrow, unimpressed, but obeyed the order.

“Sir,” he said with a sloppy salute. His eyes darted curiously to Takashi but he said nothing. He was shorter then, the top of his head just coming up to Takashi’s chin.

Iverson clapped Takashi’s shoulder. “Cadet, I want you to meet Lieutenant Takashi Shirogane. He’s been selected as the pilot in the upcoming Kerberos mission. Shirogane, this is Keith Kogane, our most promising new recruit.” He turned back to Keith. “You could learn a thing or two from him, you know,” he continued in a sly, patronizing tone.

Keith narrowed his eyes at Iverson before turning to Takashi again, sizing him up more thoroughly this time. Then, straightening his back and shoulders, he raised his chin defiantly. “Maybe _he_ could learn a thing or two from me,” he said simply. It wasn’t a question.

Takashi blinked but very carefully maintained a neutral expression on his face even as he felt something like lightning pulse through his veins. Ignoring Iverson indignant sputtering, his eyes locked onto Keith’s. There was a glint of mischief in those ethereal indigo orbs but it was almost completely obscured by a hungry fire that threatened to consume anything that got too close.

Takashi knew then that Keith would stop at nothing until he got what he wanted, whatever that happened to be, and god help the poor souls who would dare stand in his way. He knew this because he had seen that fire reflected back at him in his bathroom mirror on the nights he couldn’t sleep, when the anxiety of the upcoming mission felt too heavy on his shoulders and he needed to remind himself _why_ he fought so hard for this.

“Report to Commander Montgomery and tell him that you’re to run ten laps for your insubordination,” Iverson ordered, glowering.

“There’s really no need for that, sir,” Takashi tried to interject, but Iverson pointedly ignored him.

Keith saluted sloppily again but didn’t take his eyes off Takashi. “Yes, sir,” he drawled lazily. He took off at an easy jog but paused just before he reached Commander Montgomery and glanced back over his shoulder. Their eyes met again from across the room and Takashi’s limbs locked up helplessly under the boy’s steady gaze.

Then Keith threw him a wink. It was both an invitation and a challenge.

 _That_ was the moment Takashi first fell in love with the angry, volatile, heartbreakingly beautiful boy called Keith Kogane.

* * *

Takashi looks up from his tablet at the sound of the shower being shut off, soon followed by Keith exiting the bathroom in his robe while towelling off his hair.

It’s longer now and just reaches the top of his shoulder blades. Despite Keith’s own complaints about it occasionally getting in the way while sparring and during missions, Takashi likes it this way. It’s gotten to the point where Keith has teased him about having some kind of hair kink multiple times.

But Takashi can usually shut him up by running his hand through Keith’s hair, making sure to brush his fingers against the back of the younger man’s ears, which never fails to elicit a wonderful shiver from him. “And what are you going to do about it?” he would ask, deliberately pitching his voice to a deeper tone.

(They don’t tend to talk much after that point, although that certainly doesn’t mean they are in any way _quiet_.)

“Shower’s all yours if you want,” says Keith. He flings his towel to the side, missing the spare utility box they’ve designated as their laundry basket by a few inches.

Takashi frowns pointedly at him. 

After a beat, Keith rolls his eyes but goes to pick the towel off the floor and dump it in the box. “There, you happy now?” he grouses.

“I’m always happy when I’m with you,” Takashi says sweetly.

Keith rolls his eyes again but it doesn’t escape Takashi’s notice that there is a faint blush on his cheeks. Seeing his partner flustered, even a little bit, is perhaps one of Takashi’s biggest guilty pleasures and it’s a secret he’ll take with him to the grave (although he suspects Keith knows this anyway).

“Sap,” Keith grumbles but he drops down at the foot of the bed by Takashi’s feet anyway, so he can’t be too annoyed. He grabs his hairbrush from the little nook by their bed and starts to brush his hair.

After watching him struggle impatiently with the knots in his hair, Takashi chuckles, “Want some help there, sweetheart?”

“Please,” Keith grumbles, handing his brush over.

They shift their positions until Takashi is leaning against the wall at the head of their bed with his thighs bracketing Keith, who sits cross-legged with his back to Takashi’s chest. He’s close enough that Takashi can smell his shampoo. Neither of them knows what the scent actually is—Keith picked it up on a whim about a year ago from the space mall’s version of Walgreens—but there’s a hint of something in it that reminds Takashi of cinnamon.

His chest grows warm as he remembers idly mentioning that he liked the new shampoo once, which resulted in Keith getting the same one ever since.

Takashi picks up the brush and starts combing through his hair, slowly and carefully. Keith exhales a contented sigh.

“You really are obsessed with my hair,” he hums after a while.

Takashi stops. “Oh? Is that a complaint I hear? Should I stop before I make you too uncomfortable?” he asks innocently.

“You’ll do no such thing,” Keith growls, tipping his head back to glare at Takashi upside down.

It makes Takashi think fondly of his childhood cat Mika. “Alright, alright,” he chuckles before resuming his ministrations, gently carding through Keith’s hair with his left hand and skillfully untangling every knot he meets with his fingers. He doesn’t even need to concentrate anymore like he did the first few times—the action is pure muscle memory now.

 _Keith Shirogane_. The name rings through his mind like a bell, louder and more insistent now in their quiet little room. He desperately wants to say it out loud but at the same time, he’s afraid. It’s not that he thinks Keith will reject him, but he can’t help feeling like a spoiled child asking for more than he deserves. Keith already gives him so much, constantly pouring his fragile heart into his hands and presenting it to Takashi as a sacrifice.

And Takashi keeps taking and taking and _taking_ yet still hasn’t paid him back anywhere near as much as he deserves. He’s afraid of the day Keith asks for payment because he doesn’t know if he’ll even have anything worth giving.

Instead, he says, “So, I’ve been thinking about something Lance said earlier today.”

Keith snorts, “Why do you even listen to him?” He hisses when Takashi lightly tugs at his hair in admonishment. “Okay, okay,” he sighs. “What did he say?”

Takashi exhales. “About us being kinda married.”

He counts five ticks before Keith replies, “Aren’t we basically already married?” 

“Not _legally_.”

Keith turns around and cocks an eyebrow at him. “Shiro, we pilot giant robot cats in an intergalactic war spanning over ten millennia. The legality of _anything_ isn’t really an issue.”

Well, he’s got him there. “I guess.” Takashi finishes brushing Keith’s hair and starts to braid it. “It’s just...I think it would be nice. To be married. You know, to have something to show the universe that—” _You’re mine and I’m yours_. “—we’re both off the market. Together. Even if it is just on paper.” Takashi can feel himself losing steam and curls forward a little, feeling smaller than he has any right to be. “But only if you want,” he adds quietly.

A few ticks pass in the silence before Keith speaks again, “You know…” he trails off, rubbing his elbow. It’s one of his most obvious tells that he’s nervous about something. Takashi hums in encouragement.

Keith sighs and starts again, “I wouldn’t...well, _mind_ it if we did get married. One day.”

Takashi has to strain to catch his words but once he does, his heart _blooms_. He ties off Keith’s braid with a spare elastic out of the thousands on their nightstand and leans forward to kiss his nape. Keith shudders and clasps Takashi’s hands where they’re resting on his shoulders. If he concentrates hard enough, Takashi imagines he can almost feel the pressure of Keith’s hand over his prosthetic.

“Really? You mean you won’t mind being stuck with me for all eternity?” he teases.

Keith shoots him the glare he usually reserves for Lance, the one that says, “You must be dumber than I thought to even think that, let alone make me hear that with my own two ears.”

“Oh no,” he deadpans, “I’ll be bound to the love of my life forever even though it’s not like we haven’t already been living in each other’s pockets for the past...how many years now? Whatever will I do.”

“Okay, okay, point taken,” Takashi laughs, hushing him with a kiss.

* * *

He enlists Coran’s help, although he has to explain the concept of proposals three times before the older man finally gets it.

“Ah, love,” Coran sighs dreamily. “Back on Altea, when a suitor wanted to make their interest known, they journeyed to the farthest planet in our system to acquire a stone that was three times the weight of their intended—and it had to be _exact_ otherwise it was considered highly disrespectful—and carry it on their back for three quintants.”

Takashi just stares. “And then?” he asks hesitantly. He’s not even sure he wants to know the details but at the same time, he can’t help his morbid curiosity. Every time Coran or Allura bring up something related to Altean culture, it becomes a bit of a game of figuring out how much of it is bullshit.

“Afterwards, it is up to the intended to decide whether to accept or reject their suitor’s offer of marriage,” says Coran, shrugging. “It’s quite simple, really.”

“Sure,” Takashi eventually says, deciding to leave his questions for another day. “So, can you help me make a ring?”

“ _Can I_? But of course, my boy! By my grandfather’s beard, I’ll have it done before the end of this Spicolian movement or my name isn’t Coran Hieronymus Wimbleton Smythe!”

Takashi raises his hands placatingly. “Take your time, I’m really not in a rush.” It might have been a different situation three or even two years ago but Zarkon’s bones have long crumbled to dust and now, with Haggar gone for good as well, the urgency that tailed every choice they made during their early years in space has evaporated. There are still risks, of course, and none of them have completely shaken off the war-forged paranoia that every new quintant might be their last, but they’re breathing easier these days.

Coran cocks his head to the side and gives him a considering look. “While I am deeply honoured that you’ve chosen me for this task, I have to ask, why didn’t you go to one of the other Paladins for help? I’ve seen some of Hunk’s creations and they’re quite good.”

“Because I trust you, Coran, and I know whatever you come up with will be great,” Takashi answers truthfully.

Coran keeps looking at him. “And because I’m the only one who can actually keep this a secret,” he chirps after a few ticks. To Takashi’s relief, he doesn’t look offended. In fact, the Altean looks _proud_.

Takashi shrugs sheepishly but doesn’t deny it. He loves Hunk and knows he means well but telling him anything that is meant to be a secret is like automatically signing up to play broken telephone, except the telephone isn’t broken and is actually a megaphone. Pidge is a better secret keeper (even if she’s just as likely to accidentally blurt out sensitive information in a fit of absent-mindedness rather than any true desire to humiliate) but her expertise lies more in software than hardware.

Lance would have been the best choice if Takashi wanted to _find_ a ring rather than have one custom-made because that man keeps secrets locked up better than Beta Traz. The only catch is Takashi would have had to endure an unholy amount of teasing until either Lance got bored—which, _hah_ —or Takashi proposed. Allura is out for similar reasons; she’s a big romantic at heart and would probably just constantly shoot what she thinks are subtle and sly looks at him the whole time until Keith finally has the ring on his finger.

“ _Everyone, I’ve just received the coordinates to another lab,_ ” announces Allura over the Castle intercom. “ _I’m opening a wormhole so we should be arriving in ten dobashes. In the meantime, please get to your Lions._ ”

“Well, better hop to it!” says Coran cheerfully, shooing Takashi out of his room.

Takashi grins as he makes his way to the Black Lion’s hangar.

Picking up on his happy mood, Black rumbles curiously at him when he gets into the cockpit. Takashi smiles and mentally replays his conversation with Coran. Confusion trickles through their bond in response, with the words _ring_ and _proposal_ circling around an image of a smirking Keith tinged rose red, followed by the word _mate_ being uttered softly and reverently, like it is something sacred.

(To the Lions, who have seen empires rise and fall, whose bonds with their Paladins and each other are all they have, it is.)

Takashi purses his lips and tries to formulate an answer that won’t further confuse his Lion. _A proposal is...a type of question you ask your mate_ , he thinks. _I...want to ask him to spend the rest of his life with me_. 

An inquisitive growl. Takashi chuckles. Even without words, he can hear the question loud and clear: _Is that not what you are already doing?_

 _Well, yeah_ , Takashi thinks. _But this is kind of more official? It’s a way of letting the whole world know that we belong to each other_. He closes his eyes and mentally brings up his parent’s wedding photo. Their faces are blurry and he can’t remember if his mother had worn an _uchikake_ or _irouchikake_ but he remembers that their hands were clasped tightly together right in the center of the photo. After a few ticks, he recalls Sam and Colleen Holt’s faces as well.

He feels Black withdraw a little, probably to speak with Green, before rushing back in an excited whirlwind that makes him suck in his breath. Black’s roar reverberates through his head like a thousand voices cheering all at once but Takashi picks out one word that stands out brightly like the only lit candle in a dark room: _soulmate_. 

Warmth crawls up Takashi’s neck, to his cheeks and ears, as he silently rolls the word around in his mouth. Is that what they are?

He snorts to himself and immediately dismisses the question.

What else should Takashi call the man he would kill ( _has_ killed for) and die for without hesitation? Who wakes up next to him every morning and doesn’t see a killer, but instead calls him _love_. Who whispers the endearment against his skin, covers his body with it until Takashi thinks there is no more room left for his scars.

If that isn’t what a soulmate is then Takashi has no idea what else they would be. _Yeah, we’ll be soulmates_ , Takashi thinks, smiling.

“ _Paladins, we’ve made it through the wormhole. You’re up_ ," says Allura over the intercom.

“Alright, guys, let’s do this,” Takashi calls out, directing Black out of the hangar.

“ _I bet I can take down more sentries than all of you_ ,” Lance taunts over the comms. His mirth trickles through the Paladin’s collective bond and washes over them like the tide.

“ _I’m sure this won’t end badly at all_ ,” drawls Pidge. Despite the sarcasm in her voice, the affection that takes root in the bond tells a different story about what she is actually feeling.

“ _Oh ye of little faith_ ,” replies Lance. Takashi can hear the smug smirk in his voice. 

“ _You’re on_ ,” laughs Hunk. Excitement and anxiety rumbles through the bond like a fissure but there is also an underlying layer of confidence that would not have been there when they were still trying to understand what it meant to be the Paladins of Voltron five years ago.

Takashi conveys his reassurance through the bond anyway and feels the rest of the Paladins do the same.

A vivid red streak suddenly darts ahead of them all, accompanied by Keith shouting in surprise. 

“Keith? What’s going on? Are you alright?” Takashi asks.

“ _Yeah, I’m fine. Red’s just...really excited for some reason? I barely even need to pilot him right now_ ,” says Keith, awed.

Ecstasy, the kind Takashi associates with little kids on Christmas, bursts through the bond like fireworks. The other Lions follow suit, accompanied by their respective Paladin’s confusion. “ _Okay, is anyone else as lost as I am? Because the Lions have never acted like this on our last few missions_ ,” says Hunk.

In the back of Takashi’s mind, Black purrs in self-satisfaction. He freezes. _Oh, you didn’t…_  

Black must have told Red about Takashi’s plan to propose to Keith. And, because there are no secrets between the Lions, that means the rest of them know, too. _So much for being discrete_ , Takashi thinks dryly, even though he can’t bring himself to be too mad. The Lions’ shared excitement is actually kind of touching.

Black doesn’t even bother to pretend to be ashamed.

“Er, let’s just focus on the mission,” says Takashi eventually. “The Lions have probably been cooped up for too long.”

“ _I wonder how they would react to space catnip_ ,” Lance muses aloud.

Keith scoffs, “ _Space catnip doesn’t exist_.”

“ _Not that_ you _know of_.”

“ _I bet Hunk could make some_ ,” Pidge points out.

“ _Maybe_ ,” says Hunk, sounding like he’s seriously considering this as his next kitchen project. “ _First, we’d have to find_ …”

Takashi shakes his head but can’t stop the fond smile from spreading across his face. Yeah, this makeshift patchwork family might be the exact opposite of what he expected to find when he joined the Garrison but he wouldn’t have it any other way.

* * *

The eleventh time Takashi fell in love with Keith was the day of the launch.

Technically, only family members were allowed at the site, but Takashi wasn’t above pulling strings to get Keith to see him off. And if he had to pull the sad little orphan card to do it, well, that was between himself and Commander Harrison.

“And we’ve got enough fuel to last us five years if need be, but we don’t imagine the mission will take longer than two years, maximum,” Takashi finished his explanation and turned to Keith for his reaction.

Keith’s growth spurt hit him quickly and mercilessly just a few months ago, so the top of his head now reached Takashi’s nose, and it looked like he still had a couple of inches left to go. He held himself like a newborn colt, still getting accustomed to newer, longer legs that now went on for miles.

He wasn’t looking at Takashi. Instead, he was frowning up at the _Persephone_ like it had insulted his mother.

He was obviously upset about something and Takashi even had a good idea about what it was, but he knew from experience as a fellow foster child that confronting him about it would drive him away.

He gently nudged him with his shoulder and Keith’s eyes snapped up to him. “Huh—oh, sorry, Shiro. What were you saying?”

Takashi shook his head. “Penny for your thoughts?” he asked, giving him an encouraging smile.

Keith shoved his hands into the pockets of his Garrison-issued pants and sighed the sigh of all teenagers with the world on their shoulders. “It’s nothing,” he said, averting his eyes.

 _And I’m Priscilla, queen of the desert_ , Takashi thought wryly. “You know you can tell me anything right?” he said.

Keith bit his lip, remaining stubbornly silent, but Takashi could practically hear his brain whirring in thought. He waited; he had gotten significantly better at being patient since meeting Keith. 

Finally, after nearly a minute, Keith said, “Two years in space is a long time to be away.” His tone was far too nonchalant to be so.

“ _One_ year,” Takashi reminded him. “We estimated two just to be on the safe side.”

“Still…” Keith trailed off, his voice uncharacteristically soft. He hunched his shoulders and hid his face beneath the wild mop that was his hair. Takashi’s heart, unbidden, ached for his friend.

He placed his hand on Keith’s shoulder. “You know I’m gonna miss you, right?” he said.

Keith jolted and his gaze darted back up to Takashi’s, eyes wide in surprise. “Really?” At Takashi’s nod, he blushed. “No one’s ever told me that before,” he confessed. His chapped lips curled up into a small smile.

And Takashi’s heart was gone, gone, gone. Because what was he supposed to do with something as monumental and utterly _sweet_ as that?

He gulped. “Well, it’s true,” was all he could say. ‘Thank you,’ felt too minimal and dismissive. ‘You’re my best friend and I think I’ve had feelings for you since the day we met,’ felt too much. He couldn’t put that responsibility on Keith, especially not now when he was about to go off into space for a year. Even though he knew full well that Keith would do it anyway, he couldn’t bring himself to come out and ask the younger boy to wait for him. He refused to be that selfish 

And because today was apparently full of surprises, Keith suddenly wrapped his arms around his waist in a hug, burying his face in Takashi’s chest. Takashi’s breath stuttered but he automatically brought his arms up around Keith’s shoulders. “One year,” Keith mumbled against his uniform. “I’m holding you to that.” _I’ll miss you._  

Takashi chuckled and tightened his embrace. “I’ll be back before you know it, I promise.”

* * *

Lotor’s scarred but nonetheless handsome face appears on the holo-screen above the bridge. “ _Greetings, Princess Allura, Paladins_...” His cat-like eyes rove over to Lance. “... _and Lance_ ,” he purrs.

Lance folds his arms across his chest and pointedly looks away. Keith snickers.

“Ah, so they’re off again,” says Pidge, nodding sagely. “Hunk, jot that down.”

Hunk, bless him, actually pulls up the document he, Pidge, and Allura created months ago in order to ‘track’ Lance’s bizarre one-night-stand-turned-multiple-night-stands relationship with the Emperor of the Galra Empire. Takashi stifles a groan and prays that the transmission won’t end up becoming another weirdly sexually charged yelling match like it did last time. There’s only so much trauma a man should be forced to suffer in his lifetime.

Allura loudly clears her throat and sends all of them a stern look but Takashi doesn’t miss the way her lips quirk into an amused grin. She turns back to Lotor. “Your Highness,” she says, “it is good to speak with you again. How can we help you?”

“ _The Blade has informed me that they’ve finally located the last of Zarkon’s generals_ ,” Lotor replies smoothly. “ _Unfortunately, there is also evidence that they are colluding with a number of druids as well_.”

Allura frowns. “That is disturbing news.”

“ _Quite. I believe it is in our best interest to meet at Letsia in order to coordinate a full scale attack_.”

Allura glances at Takashi and raises a questioning eyebrow. _What do you think?_ , goes unspoken between them, general and commander.

Takashi dips his head in a subtle nod. _Let’s do it_. They’ve taken down half a dozen labs in the last few weeks and it’s obvious from the data Pidge and Matt have been gathering that the druids are running scared. An attack on the base Lotor is talking about might help tip the scales in their favour in their campaign to clean up Haggar’s mess.

Allura nods and faces the screen again. “Our teludav is down for the moment but we can be at Letsia within three vargas,” she declares.

Lotor inclines his head and his eyes land on Lance once again. “ _Excellent, I look forward to seeing you soon_.” His face vanishes as the transmission ends.

Lance glares at where the screen was. “ _I look forward to seeing you soon_ ,” he scoffs in a terrible imitation of Lotor’s accent. “ _Please_ , what a dick.”

“Language,” Coran scolds.

“What did he do to you this time?” Hunk asks. A horrified expression suddenly crosses his face and he quickly adds, “Actually, scratch that, I don’t want to know.”

Lance flips him the bird while Pidge and Keith howl with laughter. “Nothing like that, you pervert! He was just being his usual stuck up asshole self, going on about how he’s _sooo_ much better than everyone else and how I should give up this ‘dreadful Paladin business’...” he scowls, making finger quotes, “...so I can be locked up in his stupid palace forever. 

Takashi exchanges raised eyebrows with the rest of the team but none of them dares to say anything. He’s pretty sure a braver man won’t even touch Lotor’s admittedly somewhat concerning possessiveness with a ten-foot pole. Combined with Lance’s stubbornness, it’s...not so much a recipe for disaster as it is a ticking time bomb. Takashi would be more worried for Lance if he didn’t already know that the younger man is fully capable of protecting himself, whether it’s from enemies or alien royals.

“It’s been a while since we’ve been to Letsia,” says Pidge, leaning back in her seat. “It’ll be good to swap data with Lotor and the Blades.”

“And we can finally get some downtime,” adds Keith, stretching his arms over his head and causing the hem of his shirt to rise. Takashi’s eyes automatically drift to the tantalizing sliver of pale exposed skin at his waist. Keith catches his gaze, smirks, and deliberately licks his lips, slowly and sensually.

Takashi’s pants suddenly feel a bit tighter than normal.

“Oh god, Shiro and Keith are doing that bedroom eyes thing again,” groans Hunk, nearly making Takashi jolt out of his seat. Keith just rolls his eyes, unfazed, because social etiquette is still very much a foreign concept to him even after all these years. “I love you guys, but dealing with Lance and Lotor’s UST is already bad enough and I don’t know if this is better or worse.”

“It’s marginally better,” says Allura idly while fiddling with her controls. Takashi blushes and resists the urge to hide his face in his palms.

“Hey!”

“At least we can actually talk about our feelings, unlike _some_ people,” says Keith, sending Lance a shit-eating grin.

“Oh, that’s rich, coming from the emo who used to run in the opposite direction whenever any of us tried to get you to open up,” Lance retorts, sticking his tongue out like the five year old he secretly is.

“It’s called maturity. Ever heard of it?”

“Why, you—”

Takashi tunes their banter out. He drops his hand into his pocket, fingering the ring box he’s been keeping on his person out of habit ever since Coran presented it to him nearly two weeks ago. While the older man hasn’t outright asked him about it yet, he’s been sending Takashi curious looks, obviously wondering why he hasn’t proposed yet.

If he ever asks, Takashi would answer that it’s because he feels obligated to ask Krolia and Nate for their blessing before actually proposing to their son. It’s not exactly a lie, because Takashi’s parents made damn sure he knew the definition of ‘respect’ inside and out before they passed away.

But he’s also mature enough to admit that his hesitance is partly borne out of fear of what will happen afterwards, of the unknown. Marriage will be new territory, not just for the both of them, but for the rest of the team as well.

* * *

Lotor specifically chose the planet Letsia as the Galra Empire’s new seat of power because it was uninhabited and is one of the few planets Zarkon hadn’t conquered. According to him, it was important that his now largely nomadic people finally have a planet that they can call home, an anchor.

In Takashi’s opinion, Voltron’s efforts to get Zarkon’s troops to withdraw their forces and liberate all the planets they conquered is the hardest thing they’ve had to do so far. Hell, Takashi almost misses the days when their biggest concerns were Haggar’s robeasts because there was at least some sort of rhyme and reason to those battles. Nowadays, they seem to deal with too much politics for his liking. He tends to leave the whole business to Allura’s diplomacy training and Lance’s strategic brain instead.

Lotor is waiting for them when they touch down. A handful of Blades, including Nathan “call me Nate” Kogane, are there as well.

“Princess Allura, you look as radiant as ever,” says Lotor smoothly as he bows to her with a flourish. He straightens up and grins in Lance’s direction, stretching the scars that crisscross his face, courtesy of Haggar’s last stand. “Hello, my Lionheart, it has been too long.” Before Lance can react, Lotor grabs his hand and presses his lips to the knuckles.

“Sooo, does this mean they’re on again?” Hunk whispers at Takashi’s back.

Lance twitches. “ _Nothing_ is on again!” he hisses as he pulls his hand back. He glares up at Lotor with all the ferocity of a cat that just had its belly scratched and is decidedly not happy about it. He points an accusatory finger at him. “And _you_! We were just here last month—there was nothing to even miss!” But his bright red cheeks tell a different story.

Judging by the triumphant smirk on Lotor’s face, Takashi notes, he’s noticed that, too. “Oh, but Lance, I always miss your lovely face when you’re away,” he replies in an almost singsong tone.

“ _Somebody_ sure is laying it on thick,” Pidge mutters. Takashi can hear Allura trying (and failing) to smother her giggles into her palm.

A low chuckle drifts to Takashi’s ears and he turns to find Nate ambling up to him and Keith with an amused grin on his face. “Should’ve seen him ‘bout a varga ago—boy hid it well but he was frettin’ like a coyote in heat,” he tells them quietly, his voice laced with his characteristic southern twang.

Keith mimes getting sick. “Gee, thanks for the mental image, Dad,” he groans.

Nate simply chuckles again and ruffles his hair, earning a disgruntled yelp from his son. “Just keepin’ you on your toes, kiddo.” His warm bronze eyes meet Takashi’s and the older man winks at him like they’re sharing a secret.

Even though Keith mostly takes after Krolia, Takashi can detect parts of him in Nate like patches on a tapestry—in the way his lips curl up just so when he’s about to fly headfirst into danger, the way his laugh rumbles deeply in his throat like thunder before a storm, how the crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes soften and almost vanish whenever Krolia is in the same room.

Keith is still wrestling playfully with his dad but his eyes are on Takashi, soft but steady. He watches Takashi as if he can never get enough of him even if he had a thousand years.

“Why don’t we continue our conversation in the main hall?” Lotor’s voice pops through Takashi’s thoughts like a needle to a balloon.

Allura nods. “That sounds like a good idea. We can wait for Kolivan there as well.” To Takashi and the rest of their team, she says, “Lance, you’re with me. If I don’t see the rest of you at supper, then I’ll see you at breakfast tomorrow.”

Pidge salutes lazily. “Fine by me.” She nudges Hunk with a gesture towards one of the nearby sentries and they make their way over to it with identical gleeful grins on their faces. Takashi is pretty sure that sentry’s days are numbered, if his memories of Fun Bot 4.0 are any indication.

“I’ll go restock some of our supplies,” Coran declares before slinking off in a different direction.

Lotor offers his arm to Lance. “Shall we?”

Lance stares at it skeptically for a few ticks before raising his nose in the air and brushing past him with a swagger in his steps. “If you think I’m that easy, then you’ve got another thing coming,” he calls back over his shoulder, ignoring Allura’s embarrassed groan, “ _Decorum_ , Lance, I know you’ve heard of it.” 

Takashi can’t see the Blades’ faces due to their masks but he’s pretty sure they’re staring at the two of them like there is something deeply wrong with them. Unfortunately, he can’t blame them.

Lotor doesn’t look offended by Lance at all. He actually looks _pleased_. “My dear, the thought has never crossed my mind.” He trails after Lance in a way that reminds Takashi of a besotted Victorian suitor panting after the object of his affections. And he immediately hates himself a little for thinking that.

“If they aren’t on again before the quintant’s out, I’ll eat my own shoe,” says Keith under his breath.

“Please don’t bet on our teammate’s love life. I do _not_ need to know more about whatever’s going on between them than I already have the misfortune of knowing,” Takashi sighs.

Keith smiles innocently at him. “Hey, it’s only fair considering the number of times he’s given me shit about you.”

Nate barks out a laugh. “Nothing’s ever boring around your crew, is it?”

Takashi grins sheepishly at him. They’re roughly the same height but he always feels smaller around Nate, either because he’s older than him or Keith’s father, he’s not sure. “I can’t say you’re wrong, sir.”

* * *

Takashi had lost count of how many times he’d fallen in love with Keith when he actually, finally (Hunk’s words) confessed.

It was during one of the many, many skirmishes Voltron and the Blades were forced to engage in with Zarkon’s remaining troops shortly after the Kral Zera. They all blended together like a messy collage in his head.

“ _As soon as this is over, I’m taking the nicest, longest bath and none of you can stop me_ ,” Lance groaned in Red’s cockpit.

“ _Not if I get there first_ ,” Pidge chirped. 

“ _Hey! You can’t do that! I already called dibs on the fancy Altean baths!_ ”

“Guys,” Takashi cut in, “can we focus on actually getting our job done first?”

“ _Is your team always this noisy or do they just not know the definition of radio silence?_ ” Krolia’s voice interrupted, her tone bone dry.

“ _I can’t believe we’re getting dragged by Keith’s mom_ ,” mumbled Hunk.

And that was another thing— _Keith’s mother_. That was something Takashi was still struggling to adjust to.

A very familiar deep chuckle followed and Takashi felt it like a punch to his gut. “ _I almost forgot how much you guys chattered on the comms_ ,” Keith said fondly. “ _If any of us did that, Kolivan would have our heads._ ”

“ _Admit it, you miss us and your life would have no meaning without us_ ,” Lance teased.

“ _I miss_ you _like I miss having the chicken pox_ ,” Keith retorted but Takashi can hear the smile in his voice, loud and clear.

Takashi caught a short hooded figure darting out from the corner of his screen to incapacitate a handful of sentries. Even if he couldn’t tell from the Blade’s height (or lack thereof compared to the other Blades) and telltale knife, he knew it was Keith from the way he flitted seamlessly past his enemies like a dancer. Something in his chest tightened at the sight and he reached out to brush his fingers against the figure in his screen. He yearned to touch him, to feel him beneath his hand.

Whoever coined the term “absence makes the heart grow fonder” was dead wrong. Takashi felt Keith’s absence like a phantom limb every goddamn day. He didn’t just leave behind an empty bedroom in their home that was the Castle, he left a black hole in Takashi’s heart that was slowly killing him.

 _I miss you_ , he thought desperately. _I wish you didn’t leave, I wish I told you that before you did_.

Suddenly, a flash of light exploded in Takashi’s screen, cutting Keith from view, followed by the earth shaking violently beneath them. But it was Krolia’s anguished scream that clenched around Takashi’s heart in an icy grip. “ _Keith!_ ” she cried. 

“ _Incoming!_ ” Allura yelled. “ _P_ _idge, shield!_ ”

They called Voltron’s shield up just in time to meet the oncoming fighter jet’s blasts before diving back into the fray. Even as Takashi fell back into the familiar choreography of battle, his heart beat wildly against his ribcage with every minute that passed without a word from Keith. Krolia’s cries for her son grew louder and more desperate over the comms as the battle raged on and it took every ounce of strength that Takashi possessed to ignore them, to push through the fight. 

He didn’t know how much time actually passed by the time they took down the last fighter but what he did know was how his shoulders felt infinitely lighter when Keith’s voice weakly called out, “ _I’m here! I’m okay, just got knocked out for a bit._ ”

“ _Where are you?_ ” Krolia demanded, sounding exactly like the way Takashi felt: ready to tear the entire universe apart to find Keith.

Takashi sprinted out of Black as soon as Voltron landed and darted after Krolia as Keith rattled off a description of his location. Thankfully, they found him sitting in the middle of some rubble without too much trouble. His mask was deactivated, revealing a host of dirt smudges and scratches on his face, but he looked relatively whole, and that was all that mattered to Takashi.

His steps faltered when Keith’s gaze met his, the younger man’s eyes lighting up diamonds. But it was his smile—so soft and sweet and earnest, so unsuited to their gruesome surroundings—that really halted him in his tracks. It settled beneath his skin, into his bones, and claimed him like a victory banner.

Keith never smiled like that for anyone else. Usually, his smiles were sharp and wild like a wolf’s. Dangerous.

None of that was present in the boy in front of him right now.

At that moment, Takashi knew that if Keith wanted, he could have his heart. And Takashi would give it to him wrapped in ribbons with a neat bow on top and a note that would say, _Please handle with care_. It wasn’t enough, would never be enough, but it was all he had.

He sped past Krolia and, throwing his helmet off, knelt in front of Keith.

“Shiro—” Keith’s breath hitched.

Takashi’s left hand gripped the back of Keith’s neck and drew the other boy in. Keith, as if hypnotized, didn’t resist.

Their lips met, more of a brush than a kiss, but it set Takashi’s heart on fire all the same.

They pulled back at the same time. “I love you.” The words fell out of Takashi’s mouth like a waterfall. “I just—I want you to know that.” _I_ need _you to know this;_ _I could’ve lost you_ ; _I_ almost _lost you once and you would never have known_ , was what he didn’t say, thinking darkly of Naxzela.

Keith’s eyes widened and a blush bloomed across his cheeks like cherry blossoms. “Shiro, I…” Keith swallowed. “I love you too.”

Takashi’s heart collapsed and rebuilt itself at those four words. “Don’t do that again,” he said shakily through the wide smile that stretched across his face, making his cheeks hurt in the best way possible.

Keith snorted but his eyes were locked on Takashi’s as if the possibility of looking away didn’t exist. “Hey, it’s not like I _chose_ to get a building dropped on me,” he said weakly. 

“You should come back.” _To us, to_ me.

Keith raised his right hand to cup the one Takashi had over his cheek. “Yeah?”

A wistful feminine sigh interrupted them and they whipped their heads up to its source. It was Allura, who was watching them with a dreamy glaze in her eyes.

And she wasn’t alone. Krolia and the rest of their team were watching them with varying degrees of amusement in their gaze. Takashi blushed and tried to pull back but Keith only tightened his grip. “Uh, hi?” Takashi said, feeling like someone had just dumped a bucket of cold water over him.

Krolia folded her arms across her chest but didn’t look annoyed. Takashi could swear she was fighting a smile. “Welcome back,” she said.

“No, no, let them continue,” urged Allura, leaning against Lance with another sigh. “This is a much better lovestory than that old human film about Earthlings that sparkle in the sun.”

“ _Finally_ ,” Hunk murmured. “I was beginning to think you guys were going to keep pining until the end of time.”

“What—I wasn’t pining!” Keith yelled.

“The lad doth protest too much,” snickered Lance.

As Takashi let himself settle into the familiar flow of post-battle banter with his team, it didn’t escape his notice that Keith never once took his hand off of Takashi’s. 

His heart sang.

* * *

Keith announces that he’s going for a ride on one of the spare hovercrafts lying around the hangar. “Wanna to come with?” he asks Takashi.

Takashi shakes his head. “I need to grab a few things from the Castle,” he lies, wrapping his hand firmly around the box in his pocket. “But I’ll catch up later.”

Keith raises an eyebrow at him but doesn’t question it. He bids goodbye to Takashi and Nate before making his way to the hangar.

Takashi waits until he’s out of sight to turn to Nate—

—only to find the older man watching him with a considering gleam in his eyes. He lets out a low whistle and Takashi imagines he’d be tipping his cowboy hat back right now if he had one. “Now that was a lie if I ever heard one,” he says, cocking his head. “What’re you up to, Shirogane?”

Takashi straightens his back. “It actually concerns you, sir,” he answers. Sweat begins to gather at the back of his neck.

Nate raises an eyebrow and the action is so similar to Keith just now that Takashi has to fight back a fond smile. “Oh?” 

“Well, more like you and Krolia,” Takashi amends.

Nate’s other eyebrow flies up and something like understanding glimmers in his eyes. “Alrighty then. I suppose we should get goin’ to find that darling wife o’mine.” 

It takes them a few dobashes to reach the room Krolia has apparently stationed herself in with her back facing the door when they enter. “Honey, I’m back,” Nate bellows, sauntering up to her side. He wraps his arm around her waist and stretches up on his toes to kiss her cheek.

Krolia swats at him. “Don’t distract me, I already told you I need to get all this data sorted before Kolivan arrives.” Tellingly, however, she doesn’t remove his arm.

Takashi takes a moment to observe the two. In the last couple of years since meeting him, Takashi notices that Nate always seems to drink in the sight of his wife like a lost, dying man who has finally found his oasis. Krolia’s displays of affection are more subdued; she won’t seek her husband out like he does with her, but she never hesitates to lean into his touches like she knows he’ll always be there no matter what.

Takashi would be lying if he said he understood their relationship because he still doesn’t. Krolia is cold while Nate is warm. But Takashi supposes that does make them compatible.

Keith may have made his peace with his parents seemingly abandoning him as a child (after a long series of screaming matches and objects being violently thrown against walls, that is) but Takashi still has his reservations. He doesn’t think he’ll ever fully forgive what they did, even if it was for the good of the universe, but he does respect them at the very least. 

“Keith’s boyfriend has something to tell us,” drawls Nate, “and I think we should hear the boy out.”

 _I’m almost thirty_ , Takashi thinks despairingly.

Krolia turns around to face Takashi, her golden eyes piercing him where he stands. “Oh?” There are entire unspoken paragraphs in that one simple "oh." 

Takashi instinctively falls into parade rest and meets their gazes unflinchingly. He’s not scared, exactly, because he’s faced far more terrifying monsters both in his dreams and waking hours, but his body thrums with nervousness all the same. “I, uh,” he starts and instantly cringes inwardly at himself for faltering. He exhales and tries again, slower this time. “I want to ask Keith to marry me and I...would very much appreciate if I had your blessing.”

Nate doesn’t look surprised by the question at all. Krolia furrows her brows. “I’m confused. Are you asking us for permission? Why would you even need it?”

Thankfully, before Takashi can flounder too much, Nate smoothly answers, “He’s not asking for permission, hon, he just wants to know if we’d be okay with it. It’s an Earth thing.”

Krolia blinks and her expression clears. “ _Oh_. Well, if that’s what you want, then it’s fine with me,” she says, shrugging. As if the prospect of her son getting engaged isn’t a big deal at all.

 _Then again_ , Takashi admits, _things might be different for the Galra_.

“And, even though I know you don’t actually _need_ it, it’s a ‘yes’ from me, too,” says Nate, grinning easily at Takashi. “Wild horses couldn’t keep Keith from scouring the universe to be by your side.”

“That’s very true,” Krolia quietly scoffs.

“Th-Thank you,” Takashi stammers, at a loss for any other appropriate responses.

He still doesn’t quite understand how he managed to earn Keith’s fierce, overwhelming love. He doesn’t deserve it but he knows, from all the corners of his soul, that he will happily do whatever it takes to be worthy of it for the rest of his life.

* * *

He finds Keith’s hovercraft parked at the base of a hill about a varga later and parks the one he borrowed from Lotor’s fleet next to it. A few dobashes and one uphill trek later, he drops down beside his partner to watch the planet’s two suns set.

“Hey,” he says, brushing their shoulders together.

Keith smiles up at him. “Hey.” A beat. “So, did you actually need something from the Castle or are you finally going to tell me about whatever it is you’ve been keeping in your pocket for the last few quintants?”

Takashi’s hand automatically flies to his pocket and he lets out a little sigh of relief when his fingers curl around the box. Keith’s eyes flicker down to follow his hand and his smile widens impishly.

“And here I thought I was being subtle,” Takashi chuckles while trying to calm his stuttering heart. He shouldn’t really be surprised that Keith even noticed. His eyes may not be as sharp as Lance or Coran’s, both of whom have a talent for catching even the smallest details, but he has a sort of sixth sense when it comes to Takashi. He always seems to know what Takashi needs, sometimes even before Takashi himself does.

Keith is fond of saying that Takashi is the one who saved him but Takashi knows the truth: if it weren’t for Keith, he’d have been dead years ago.

Keith playfully bumps his forehead against Takashi’s shoulder. “Well? Are you finally going to tell me or do I still have to pretend I don’t suspect anything?” There’s no hint of demand in his voice, though. Takashi knows that, if he asked, Keith would be patient with him, for as long as it takes.

Takashi laughs and wraps his arm around Keith’s shoulder. Keith immediately snuggles closer against his side. His body is a comforting heat against Takashi’s. “I guess there’s no point in keeping secrets anymore.” He pauses to collect his thoughts on what to say next. “I talked to your parents, actually.”

Keith raises his eyebrow. “About what?”

“You.”

Keith’s nose wrinkles as he considers that. Takashi resists the urge to kiss him, knowing full well that way lies distraction. “And you couldn’t come to me to talk about me?”

Takashi smirks. “Well, I wanted to ask them something,” he answers. “They gave me their blessing, by the way.”

“Their blessing?” When he doesn’t elaborate, Keith pokes him in the arm. “Well?”

“Well what?” Takashi doesn’t even bother hiding an amused grin. He doesn’t rile Keith up that often, but it’s always a treat when he does.

Keith snorts, “You know what I mean, you ass.” He pokes him again, a bit harder this time.

Takashi laughs and raises his free hand in surrender. “Alright, alright.” He looks down at Keith, at the love of his life, and thinks, _This is it_. It feels like he’s been working towards this moment his whole life, like he was always meant to sit here by Keith’s side and ask him the same question his mother asked his father over thirty years ago.

“Keith, my North Star, Polaris,” he begins. 

The other man rolls his eyes but there is a telltale splash of pink across his cheeks. Highlighted by the sun’s golden orange rays, it looks like he’s glowing. “Yes, _Ta-ka-shi_ , my sun and moon?” he shoots back.

Takashi takes the box out of his pocket and holds it up between them. Keith’s eyes widen in realization. “How do you feel about getting married?”

Keith’s dark amethyst eyes meet his. They hold galaxies and galaxies in them, and Takashi drowns.

His heart thuds loudly against his ribcage as silence passes between them for a few ticks but he doesn’t dare look away from the man he loves.

Finally, Keith answers, his eyes sparkling with affection. “And who am I getting married to?” he teases. But Takashi detects a slight hitch in his breath and his heart soars.

 _I guess turnabout’s fair play_. “You know exactly what I mean.”

“Not really. Maybe you should be more specific and actually ask me the damn question already.” Keith smiles and Takashi falls in love all over again. 

Takashi pops open the box to reveal the titanium ring. He knows it’s plain—maybe even too plain, except for the black ore lining the center of the band—but he knows Keith doesn’t care much for ornate things. 

Keith sucks in a breath. “Oh, Takashi…”

“Keith Kogane,” says Takashi, tempering his voice with solemnity this time, “will you marry me?” 

Keith leans up and touches their foreheads together. “Yes, Takashi, yes.” His voice is unbearably soft, nearly getting carried away by the wind, but Takashi grasps his words and locks them away in his heart.

He takes Keith’s left hand and brushes his lips against it in silent thanks, for saying ‘yes’, for continuing to say ‘yes’, for giving him a future. He has to remove his other arm from Keith’s shoulders to put the ring on him but the reprieve doesn’t last long when, as soon as the ring slips on his finger, Keith throws himself forward to smash their lips together.

They tumble backwards onto the ground in a mess of tangled limbs and laughter. Keith swings his leg over Takashi’s hip, straddling him while his left hand presses firmly down on Takashi’s chest, fingers spread. He gazes down at Takashi with a wicked grin and Takashi can _feel_ all the blood in his body rush southward.

“What are you thinking?” he asks, blushing a little as his voice comes out breathless.

Keith shifts a little to rub against his groin, forcing a gasp out of Takashi’s lungs at the gratifying friction. He leans forward until they are chest to chest and whispers in Takashi’s ear, “I’m thinking that we should celebrate.” His breath caresses Takashi’s skin, drawing a full body shudder from him.

“We’ll miss dinner,” he says, even as his hands land on Keith’s waist in a tight, possessive grip.

Keith, having already unbuckled Takashi’s pants in record time, pulls his cock out and starts stroking it with his right hand. Takashi moans and his body automatically bucks up at the contact, desperate for more. “W-Wait! Keith, babe,” he gasps, “I don’t have any—”

“Left back pocket." 

Takashi dutifully drops his hand to the spot and almost bursts out laughing when his fingers wrap around a very familiar, very well used tube. He pulls it out and smirks up at Keith. “You’re sure prepared.”

Keith slows his ministrations and nips his ear. “I saw the way you were looking at me this morning.” His voice is a lower octave than normal, making Takashi shiver.

“It’s kind of hard not to when you— _ah_ —look the way you do,” grunts Takashi as Keith’s hand speeds up again. He cups Keith’s ass with his free hand and grinds up against him. 

Keith’s laugh comes out in a delicious gasp that reverberates through Takashi’s skin. “You sound like you’ve been hanging out with Lance a bit too much.”

“Please don’t talk about him or anyone else when you’ve got my dick in your hand,” Takashi pleads. Keith tightens his grip and Takashi groans, dropping his head back against the ground.

Keith licks his bottom lip and Takashi’s eyes track the movement like a starving man. “Maybe you should find a way to shut me up then.” It’s a challenge, and one Takashi is all too happy to meet.

He surges up and kisses him deeply. His free hand unzips Keith’s pants to palm his half-hard cock. As Keith’s mouth opens in a moan, Takashi pushes his tongue in, tasting him. They must have done this (and more) a million times but he hasn’t gotten tired of taking every inch that Keith offers, not yet. He doesn’t think he ever will.

He takes his time kissing Keith, consuming his every breath like a starving man, as he strokes Keith’s cock to hardness. 

Keith pulls back, leaving behind a thin strand of saliva between their swollen lips, his cheeks flushing bright red and chest heaving wildly in between pants. His pupils are blown wide with desire. Framed against the backdrop of the setting sun, he looks like he’s been crowned with a halo made of fire.

It’s not the first time Takashi’s head whispers the word _beautiful_ in conjunction with Keith and it won’t be the last, not for a long time.

“Takashi,” Keith pants, the absolute _need_ in his voice puncturing Takashi’s chest like a sword. “I need you in me _now_.”

Takashi can’t do anything else but obey. He helps Keith get his pants off until he’s completely exposed. Fire burns down his spine at the realization that Keith is half-naked while he’s still fully dressed. His cock twitches.

Keith smirks in response and tightens his grip, just a little, which sends a white-hot spark through Takashi’s whole body and wrenches a harsh moan out of him. “See something you like?” he purrs. He even has the audacity to flutter his long eyelashes, one hundred percent aware of the fact that Takashi’s brain is currently short-circuiting itself into a puddle at the sight.

In retaliation, Takashi lightly slaps his rear, earning a high-pitched keen from his fiancé.

 _His fiancé_. Something dark and possessive pools in his stomach at the word. It doesn’t have a name but it elicits a pleased growl from the unevolved lizard part of his brain. “I see something I love,” Takashi tells him.

Keith grins cheekily at him with hooded eyes. “Then put your money where your mouth is and _fuck me_ _already_.”

Takashi squeezes his ass a final time before removing his hands to uncap the lube and spread a generous amount of it over his left hand. After tossing it in the general direction of Keith’s discarded pants, he holds him steady with his prosthetic while reaching behind him with his other hand to circle his hole.

Keith rocks against him insistently as his left hand moves up to grip the nape of his neck as leverage. “Come _on_ ,” he growls.

Takashi chuckles. “Patience,” he chides sweetly.

Keith glares down at him and opens his mouth to deliver what is sure to be a sharp reprimand but cuts himself off with a surprised hiss when Takashi plunges his index finger in his warm, tight channel.

“You okay?” Takashi asks, pausing. 

Keith chuckles and pointedly rolls his hips down. “Are you going to keep asking me that every time?” he asks fondly.

“Always,” Takashi promises. He adds another finger, pushing up to the second knuckle and curling his fingers until—

Keith cries out and drops his head forward, panting wetly against the spot where Takashi’s neck meets his shoulder. “ _Fuck!_ ”

“That’s the idea,” Takashi laughs. He fingerfucks him slowly, concentrating on hitting his prostate and memorizing every single wonderful breathy moan that falls from Keith’s lips.

Keith pushes himself up and narrows his eyes at Takashi. There is something animalistic in the two black pools his eyes have now become. “Takashi…” he growls threateningly. He lunges forward and catches Takashi’s bottom lip with his _teeth_ , biting down hard enough to almost draw blood.

Takashi moans, hanging on the precipice between pain and pleasure, and gives back as good as he gets. Their teeth clack against each other and it really shouldn’t be as hot as it is but, well, different strokes and folks, and all that.

He adds a third finger and starts pumping them more quickly, greedily swallowing Keith’s moans and gasps like they are honey. 

Keith fumbles to wrap his hand around both of their cocks and Takashi leans back to watch because _god_ , seeing Keith barely able to fit both of them in his hand is almost enough to push him over the edge. Keith starts rubbing their cocks together and the friction sends a bolt of electricity down Takashi’s spine, lighting some unknown part of him up like a fucking Christmas tree. He moans and tightens his hand on Keith’s hip, drawing out a deep groan in response.  

“I-I’m ready,” Keith hisses, grinding forcefully down on his fingers. “You know I can take it.”

 _Oh, does he ever_. “Okay, okay.” Takashi withdraws his fingers with an obscene squelch.

He barely has his hand on Keith’s hip when Keith slams down his cock in one go, punching all the oxygen out of Takashi’s lungs at the heavenly heat that explodes around him. He squeezes his eyes shut and it takes every cell in his body not to come as supernovas burst behind his eyelids and all his nerves burn with pleasure.

Keith chokes out a sob and drops his forehead on Takashi’s shoulder as his nails dig into his skin. The powerful muscles in his body thrum like coiled springs about to come undone.

Takashi loves this—loves feeling Keith’s strength all around him like this, all of it under his control. And the best part is _no one else gets to have this_. “ _Fuck_ , you always feel so amazing,” he sighs.

Keith’s thighs flex around him as he pushes himself up. Takashi opens his eyes and stops breathing. Keith looks utterly and gorgeously _ruined_ with his wild and untamed mop of hair plastered against his face, skin drenched in sweat that glistens like syrup against the last rays of the sun, and swollen blood red lips curled around the shape of Takashi’s name like it’s the only word he knows. He is a storm and Takashi is right in the eye of it.

“What are you waiting for?” Keith pants, grinning wolfishly, “An engraved invitation?” 

Takashi squeezes his fingers around Keith’s hips as he bodily lifts the other man up a couple inches before he drops him back down, earning a guttural moan for his efforts. “Oh, baby, be careful what you wish for.”

He sets a fast, punishing pace but Keith matches every thrust with a determined, even manic gleam in his eyes. He aims for Keith’s prostate at each thrust and is awarded with an orchestra of glorious shattered moans.

Keith wraps his hand around his cock and starts to stroke it again. Takashi drops his left hand to cover it, nearly engulfing Keith’s hand, and puts more pressure on the leaking member. 

Keith cries out and falters, causing him to bounce helplessly in Takashi’s lap. “Ta-Takashi, I’m—”

Takashi speeds up his strokes and leans forward to kiss Keith’s neck. “Just let go,” he breathes. “Let me see you.”

He tightens his grip and fucks into him— _hard_ —while keeping his eyes locked on Keith, waiting for the moment he unravels like loose thread.

Keith _crumples_ around him beautifully. He drops his head forward again, latching onto Takashi’s neck as he lets out a broken sob that pierces Takashi’s skin. Come spills over both their hands, onto their stomachs, as Keith clenches around him.

It’s tight, almost suffocating, and Takashi follows him over the edge after a few more thrusts, gasping Keith’s name out as an offering as pleasure floods his body. Keith is his god and this is all he has to give.

He gingerly pulls out and they collapse onto the ground, both of them panting heavily up into the now blackened sky.

Takashi tucks Keith’s head onto his chest, curling his arms around him. Keith nuzzles his chin and, after a while, says, “You know what they say about married life; it’s all downhill from here.” 

The primal part of Takashi doesn’t miss the way he still sounds winded. “Well, too late, you’re the one wearing my ring, so no takebacks,” he hums. “You said it yourself, too,” he adds, referring to their conversation weeks ago.

“Yeah, I did.” Keith raises his left hand above them, spreading his fingers wide, to get a better look at the ring under the light of the planet’s two moons. The black gem glitters subtly under the moonlight and Takashi remembers Coran telling him that, once the outer shell inevitably wears away as is natural of the alien stone, it will reveal a golden layer underneath. 

“Do you like it?” he asks nervously.

Keith turns his head, pressing his lips against Takashi’s cheeks. “You know I love it,” he answers, his breath caressing Takashi’s skin. He doesn’t say, _I love you_ , but Takashi hears it anyway.

He cups the back of Keith’s head and pulls him up for a deep kiss. Around them, the world stops being, just for a while, and he savours every moment of it.

* * *

Of course, they miss dinner.

* * *

Everyone on their team, with the exception of Lance, is already in the mess hall when they arrive for breakfast the next morning. There are a dozen Blades scattered around as well, some of whom nod to Keith in greeting as they pass by. A few of them shoot Takashi sly looks and one of them even lets out a low wolf whistle. It takes a few ticks before he remembers that the Galra have an excellent sense of smell that outstrips that of humans by miles, which apparently means that his attempt to scrub himself clean for half a varga last night was completely useless. His cheeks grow warm with embarrassment and he ducks his head as he quickens his steps.

Keith snarls something in Galran and the Blades laugh goodnaturedly in response. He smirks, satisfied, and continues towards the table where the rest of their team is waiting, head held high. “What did you say?” Takashi asks, half-dreading the answer.

“I told them to mind their own damn business,” Keith replies, grinning like the cat that got the canary.

He probably isn’t lying but Takashi is willing to bet some swears were also thrown in for good measure.

“Good morning,” Allura greets as they sit down across from her and Hunk, with Pidge and Coran at opposite ends of the table. She grins slyly at them. “You missed dinner last night,” she says in a singsong voice. Even the mice, who are sitting around her bowl, are chittering judgmentally at them.

Keith gives her a dry look. “I didn’t realize you were doing roll call,” he deadpans.

Still smiling, Allura does a complicated hand gesture that Takashi assumes is the Altean equivalent of flipping the bird.

He’s proven right when Coran sighs the long-suffering sigh of a man who is once again faced with the realization that he’s the oldest person in the group and should probably be setting a good example even if he’d rather be taking a nap. “Princess, please,” he says, “you’re an adult and the leader of the largest intergalactic coalition in the history of the known universe. Perhaps you can act like one?”

Allura beams angelically at him while Pidge snickers from Hunk’s other side, “Not a chance.” She smirks at Keith. “So, where _were_ you and Shiro last night anyway?”

“We just went for a ride in the valley,” says Keith, frowning when she leers at him.

“ _Aw yeah you did!_ ” she and Allura whoop at the same time. They turn to each other with identical delighted grins and lean over Hunk to high-five each other.

Takashi pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs in defeat. He hears Keith sputter indignantly at his side.

Hunk groans into his food. “Please, it’s too early for this,” he begs. “Breakfast is supposed to be _sacred_.”

Takashi pats his arm sympathetically. “I know it is, Hunk.” He shoots the two women his best Team Dad glare (as coined by Lance) and, to their credit, they stop giggling, even though they’re still wearing matching grins and showing no remorse at all. 

“I’m disowning you both,” Keith says darkly.

“No you won’t,” chirps Pidge. She even has the gall to try to ruffle his hair but Keith easily dodges her. “You love us too much to do that.”

“And I regret that every day,” says Keith, but his lips are twitching.

Takashi grips his left hand under the table and squeezes it, making sure to brush his finger against the ring. Keith perks up and sends him a small, secretive grin.

Physically, Takashi doesn’t feel any different now that they’re engaged. Nothing has actually changed between them. To the rest of the universe, they’re still the Black and Red Paladins. To their friends and family, they’re still Shiro-and-Keith, Keith-and-Shiro.

But there _is_ one difference now: Keith is wearing his ring. And the knowledge alone is enough to make Takashi feel like his heart is about to burst.

His ears pick up a low mechanical hiss that heralds the arrival of a newcomer from one of the entrances to the mess hall. Normally, it wouldn’t be much cause for concern but the easy chatter among the Galra around them, both Blade members and Empire soldiers, suddenly screeches to a halt. Curious, Takashi turns around in his chair and— 

 _Huh_. It’s Lance. He’s wearing an oversized navy robe that hangs precariously off one shoulder with the hem dragging along the floor behind him. The younger man looks like he hasn’t fully woken up yet with the way he’s struggling to keep his eyes open while stumbling towards them. As he gets closer, Takashi realizes his neck is practically painted angry red with _hickeys_. He counts at least four from where he’s sitting. 

And Lance is coming from the direction of the royal chambers instead of the guest chambers.

Keith nudges Takashi. “Told you,” he says smugly.

“Ugh, don’t remind me.”

Pidge and Allura are vibrating in their seats like they’re about to explode with absolute glee but somehow manage to keep their mouths shut until Lance drops himself down between Takashi and Coran.

“G’morning,” he yawns, stretching one of his arms above his head and causing the robe to slip down even further on the other shoulder.

Takashi pushes it back up because it’s the responsible thing to do, all the while quietly wanting to die a little. “Morning,” he clears his throat.

“Uh, guys, the Galra are still staring,” Hunk points out.

Somewhere in the vicinity, Takashi hears someone cough out something that sounds like “scent marking” but he can’t be sure and, frankly, he doesn’t think he wants to know. 

“Huh?” Lance blinks blearily at his surroundings but the action snaps the Galra out of their staring and they suddenly return to their conversations with a fervour that definitely wasn’t there earlier. “What staring?”

Allura waves her hand dismissively. “Nevermind that.” She leans forward, practically hanging out of her seat until she is nose to nose with Lance. “We already know where Shiro and Keith were last night, but what we don’t know is where _you_ were this morning.” She grins, shark-like, and Takashi is reminded, not for the first time, that this is the woman who killed Haggar.

“Mind sharing with the rest of the class, Lance?” Pidge asks with her chin propped up against the back of her hand. Combined with the way her glasses are gleaming menacingly under the mess hall’s terrible lighting, she looks like a proper mad scientist villain.

Lance sputters, definitely wide awake now. “Wh-What? I was in bed, you creep! Where else would I be?”

“No, you weren’t,” says Pidge, “because Hunk told us that, when he came to get you for breakfast, your room was empty and it looked like you didn’t even touch your bed last night.”

“ _Hunk!_ ”

Hunk shrugs helplessly. “I’m sorry! But they caught me as I was coming from your room, so I had to tell them!” He blushes. “And, uh, no offense, dude, but it’s pretty obvious you weren’t alone last night.” He points to Lance’s bare shoulder.

Lance looks down and yelps when he finally catches sight of the lovebites peppered along his skin. He rushes to cover them up but it’s a bit like closing the hangar doors after the Lion’s already bolted. “That _asshole_! He _knew_ and he still let me walk out like this without saying anything!” he screeches. None of them have to even ask who he’s referring to.

Allura sits back down in her chair and whispers to Hunk, “This means they’re on again, right?”

Hunk nods. “For now,” he says cryptically.

Lance groans and buries his head in his arms. It’s only because Takashi is next to him that he can hear him mutter, “I’ve saved the universe at least _twice_ now. I don’t deserve any of this." 

Coran pats him on the back. “There, there,” he says cheerfully.

After some more light ribbing from Allura and Pidge, everyone resumes eating their breakfast, and Takashi thinks they’ve reached their excitement quota for the morning.

What he doesn’t account for is when Hunk asks Keith to pass him the Galra equivalent of salt. Keith, whose right hand is occupied with his spoon, grabs the packet (because the Galra apparently don’t believe in saltshakers) with his left hand and holds it out for Hunk across the table. Takashi watches, unconcerned, as Hunk takes it from him, brushing their fingers against each other.

Hunk freezes. Keith frowns at him. “What?”

Lightning quick, Hunk jerks Keith’s wrist towards him and stares down at the ring. _Oops_ , Takashi thinks faintly.

“ _What the crow is this?_ ” Hunk shouts, drawing all eyes on their table for the second time in as many dobashes.

“What are you— _oh_ ,” says Keith as he follows Hunk’s gaze. “Um, it’s a ring.” He glances at Takashi, looking uncertain. 

“ _It’s a ring!_ ” Hunk repeats shrilly. 

“Yeah, and?” Keith is obviously trying to sound nonchalant but, as the worst liar on the team (with Allura at a distant sixth place), he’s not successful.

Takashi can practically see the lightbulb go off above Pidge’s head next. “You don’t usually wear jewelry,” she says slowly, eyes narrowing at his hand. “And to wear a ring on _that_ finger…”

As one, she, Hunk, and Lance whip their heads around to stare at Takashi, pinning him in his seat with the intensity of their gaze. Distantly, he hears a gruff Galran voice say, “I love it when the Paladins visit. They’re always so entertaining.” 

Takashi gulps. Allura looks confused but Coran is grinning at him, pleased. “So, uh, about that,” he says, chuckling nervously. “Keith and I are engaged now.”

“Hell yeah, we are,” Keith pipes up unhelpfully next to him.

“...Erm, surprise?”

No one says anything for a couple of ticks.

Then: noise and movement explode all around them so quickly that Takashi doesn’t know where to look first, or if he should even be moving at all.

The good news is Keith looks just as lost as he does.

Hunk practically jumps over the table to tackle them both in a hug. Lance is making incoherent noises as he flails dramatically but he has an enormous smile on his face. Pidge is trying to squeeze her way under Hunk’s arms to hug them as well. Coran is patting Takashi’s shoulder in congratulation. Allura is beaming at them while the mice jump and dance on her shoulders.

A few Blade members swarm them, offering their congratulations to Keith.

At some point during the procession, Takashi feels a nudge against his leg and looks down in time to see Keith drop his left hand on his thigh, giving him a gentle squeeze. Keith is turned away, deep in conversation with some Blades, but Takashi catches him glancing over at him in concern. _Are you alright with this?_ , his eyes seem to say. 

Takashi smiles and squeezes his hand. _Yeah_.

All in all, they only managed to keep their engagement to themselves for fewer than ten vargas, but Takashi wouldn’t have it any other way.

* * *

At the end of their strategy meeting later that day, Kolivan says, “And the final matter in our agenda today concerns the confirmation of the engagement between the Black Paladin Shiro and one of our former members, the Red Paladin Keith.”

Takashi blinks. “Confirmation?” he asks, dread creeping into his voice.

But Kolivan doesn’t look disproving. Instead, he has a smirk on his face that reminds Takashi uncomfortably of a hyena. “Of course, the Galra have particular customs that must be followed before you are authorized to marry.”

“Authorized?” Keith barks. He steps forward and narrows his eyes at Kolivan. “Shouldn’t the decision be up to me? You know, the person Shiro _proposed to_?”

Kolivan’s smirk widens. Takashi doesn’t think he’s ever seen the man look this amused. Or at all. “That’s something you’ll have to take up with your mother.”

The woman in question grins, revealing sharp pearly white canines. “Galran traditions demand that the suitor must fight a member of the intended’s family in ceremonial hand-to-hand combat to prove that they are worthy,” she explains. “In this case, that will be me.”

Takashi feels a little faint as his eyes track her height. “I guess I now know why you didn’t make a fuss when I asked for your blessing yesterday,” he says weakly. She’s got half a foot on him _at least_. And, like all the Galra he’s encountered over the years, she seems to be made up almost entirely of muscles, even if they are lean.

“Did you know about this?” Keith asks Nate.

Nate holds his hands up in surrender. “Hey, don’t look at me, your mother and I got hitched the usual way on Earth. Granted, we had to jury rig something to disguise her for the ceremony, but otherwise, it was a hundred percent legitimate.”

Krolia steps forward and drops her hand on Takashi’s shoulder. Takashi gulps, hyper aware of how massive her hands are. “You don’t have to win but I do hope you won’t disappoint me,” she informs him happily.

Somewhere in the corner, Takashi hears Lance whisper, “Oh shit, rip in pieces, Shiro.”

* * *

Lotor graciously offers his training hall for the fight. Word of it spreads quickly and, no sooner after Takashi finishes changing into his Paladin armour, a crowd piles into the hall. He can hear bets flying around and most of them seem to center on how long he’ll hold up before he gets, quote unquote, “pummelled into the ground.” He’s big enough to admit that it’s disheartening to hear.

“You’ll be fine,” Coran tells him as he makes his way towards the ring someone had hastily drawn to outline the space they’ll be fighting in. “It’ll be like wrestling a Scroopian Snuffer.” 

“Go get ‘em, tiger,” Hunk encourages, slapping a hand on his back. “Remember, you’ve fought tons of Galra before and won.”

“Yeah, but I never had to fight my potential mother-in-law before,” Takashi grumbles. And he can’t even use his prosthetic because Kolivan (backed up by the rest of the Blade and even _Lotor_ , of all people) made it explicitly clear that this is a test of strength. Sure, it means that Krolia will be unarmed, too, but she still has over eighty pounds of pure muscle on him.

Hunk shrugs, looking annoyingly unsympathetic. “Well, you’re the one who liked it enough to put a ring on it,” he says philosophically. Then he abruptly pushes Takashi into the ring, where Krolia is patiently waiting like the Big Bad Wolf lying in wait for Little Red to come closer.

“I’m surprised they didn’t make Keith and Shiro fight each other,” Takashi hears Pidge say. “What, with how the Galra’s culture seems to be built entirely on violence.” 

“Keith would just forfeit,” Lance replies.

“I’m not sure he would. Have you _ever_ seen him lose anything on purpose?”

“Yeah, but this is _Shiro_ we’re talking about,” Lance counters, gesturing in Takashi’s direction. “Keith would pull the moon down from the sky if he asked him to.”

“Keith is also _right here_ and would really appreciate it if you’d stop talking about him like he can’t hear you,” Keith growls from a few feet away. His fists are clenched at his side and he looks like he’s seriously contemplating getting into the ring himself.

Lotor, who had migrated to the side of the circle that the Paladins unofficially claimed as theirs, leans down to speak in Lance’s ear. “Is that what you desire, my Lionheart?” he asks. “You need only ask and I would steal all the stars in the universe for you.” There isn’t a hint of insincerity in his voice.

Pidge whistles. “Damn, that was smooth.”

Takashi has never seen Lance’s face turn this red before. But, before he can catch Lance’s response, Kolivan blows the whistle and he whips his head up to face Krolia.

She bends her knees and—there’s really no other word for it— _pounces_. Takashi dodges to the right, just barely missing her claws by inches. She pivots and swings her leg at his torso. He blocks it with his prosthetic but the force of her kick still pushes him back.

It continues like this for a while: Krolia relentlessly on the offensive and Takashi putting everything he has in defending himself. “Come on! Fight me like you mean it, Shirogane!” Krolia grunts, aiming another swing at him with her fist that he just manages to dodge. He tries to parry but she ducks it gracefully. “I’m not going to go easy on you just because my son adores you!”

“ _Mom!_ ” Keith is in his early twenties but his voice still manages to hit the exact pitch of a petulant teenage boy. “Kick her ass, Shiro! I said I was going to marry you and I don’t intend to break that promise!”

“That’s your mother, Keith,” groans Nate. “Have a little more respect.” 

Takashi misses Keith’s response because that’s the moment Krolia jabs her elbow into his solar plexus, sending him sprawling to the edge of the ring. Muscle memory forces him on his elbows when he rolls to a stop but it takes him what feels like an eternity to get his breath back.

Their audience starts yelling and he snaps his head up just in time to see Krolia charging at him. He scrambles onto his knees and considers his options.

He can’t keep trying to dodge her. Sooner or later, most likely sooner, she’s going to get in another hit that will actually incapacitate him. Then the fight will be over, she’ll declare him unworthy of her son, and he won’t get to marry Keith.

His chest tightens uncomfortably at the thought and he snaps into action. He throws himself towards Krolia with his fist raised over his head and can’t help smirking when her eyes widen in surprise. She stumbles to a halt and instinctively brings her arms up to protect her upper body.

Takashi drops to a crouch at the last second and hooks his leg around hers, bringing her down with a yelp. Amidst all the cheering, Keith’s voice rings out as clear as a bell, “Yeah! Go, Shiro!”

Krolia flips back onto her feet and narrows her eyes at Takashi, looking more wary now. With the playing field more even now, they start circling each other, which reminds Takashi somewhat of a boxing match. They both get a few jabs and kicks in but nothing truly debilitating.

Finally, Krolia growls, “Enough!” She lunges forward and swipes at his head but Takashi blocks her deadly claws with his prosthetic. Undeterred, she swings her leg and it impacts his side, hard enough to knock all the air out of Takashi’s lungs. He grunts but pushes through the pain. He quickly grabs her leg with both arms before she can pull it back and throws her to the ground with all his strength.

She goes down, but not before dragging him down with her, causing their fight to devolve into a wrestling match. It lasts for a couple dobashes until Krolia pins him to the ground on his back with her knee over his chest, one hand trapping his left hand over his head, and the other wrapped around his neck. She squeezes it in warning and smirks down at him, looking so strikingly similar to Keith in that moment that Takashi briefly forgets how to breathe.

“Yield,” she orders. Takashi takes vindictive pleasure at the fact that she sounds just as out of breath as he feels. The entire room falls silent.

He smirks up at her. “You first,” he says, his eyes dropping downwards.

Krolia raises a confused eyebrow and follows his gaze. He’s positioned his Altean arm just beneath her chest. He hasn’t activated it but, if this were a real fight, the threat is there and they both know it.

Krolia suddenly throws her head back in an uncharacteristic boisterous laugh, startling everyone around them. She moves off of him and they both get to their feet. He squares his shoulders and meets her eyes, awaiting judgement. His heart is beating a mile a minute; if Krolia doesn’t give him her approval, then—he doesn’t know what he will do.

She stares at him, unblinking, for a few ticks, before a pleased grin stretches across her face. “Not bad, Shirogane.” She stretches her hand out for him to shake. “Welcome to the family, kid.”

Takashi takes it, shoulders slumping in relief, as their audience cheers in approval.

“Shiro!”

He lets go of Krolia’s hand but immediately gets tackled by Keith. “Hey, babe, how did I—”

Keith cuts him off with a searing kiss that makes his skin tingle. Several people catcall and wolf whistle but the only thing that matters right now (and forever) is the man in his arms. Keith— _his fiancé now_ —pulls back and smiles shyly at him. “Hey,” he says softly against Takashi’s lips, “looks like we’re really getting married.”

Takashi smiles back as the words race through his body like wildfire. “Yeah, we are.”

* * *

Suddenly, as if a switch has been flipped, _everyone_ wants the wedding to happen as soon as possible. What’s even weirder is that they all _have_ to have an opinion on it. 

“What if you had the wedding on Earth?” Lance asks. “I mean, it should almost be summer by now, and summer weddings are the prettiest.”

“It’s also where you guys met if you want to go for symbolism,” adds Hunk.

Pidge doesn’t look impressed. “Come on, guys, Keith and Shiro can get married anywhere and you want them to do it on Earth? _Lame_.”

“If it helps, the location really doesn’t matter to me,” Takashi offers. Keith shrugs next to him, just as unaffected.

Allura insists on holding the ceremony in the Castle and neither Takashi or Keith object. For Keith, it’s been more of a home than Earth ever was. And while Takashi will always think fondly of his parents’ two-bedroom apartment as his first real home, it’s been nothing but a memory for even longer than he’s been in space.

Everything that Takashi loves is here, in this impossible castle that five ancient ~~war machines~~ guardian beasts and seven ~~soldiers~~ survivors call home. And the one person in the entire universe who owns his heart (bought and paid for with blood, tears, and wounds that will never fully heal) is here with him in this shelter they’ve carved out for themselves in the endless, gaping chasm of space.

The one thing everyone agrees on is they should hold off on the wedding until they’ve dealt with the secret base that the Blade located.

They set off the next day with a firm plan of attack but it quickly becomes apparent that not even the imminence of what is likely to be a major battle can deter Takashi’s team from planning his wedding. When he and Keith realize this, they silently agree it’s probably for the best that they don’t interfere. Neither of them had thought further ahead than the engagement part, so Takashi, at least, is happy if someone else wants to take on the burden of organizing the whole thing.

Allura and Lance fight for the position of wedding planner but no one is surprised when Allura declares herself the winner while Lance pouts at her back. Pidge claims the title of DJ for herself and promises to make what she boasts will be “the most epic wedding playlist of all time”. Matt, once they break the news to him in a video call, spends ten dobashes yelling at Takashi before announcing that he better be his best man _or else_. Hunk, of course, appoints himself in charge of catering. Coran serenely stays out of everyone’s way but Takashi knows he must be doing _something_ if the way he occasionally pops up to ask him and Keith random questions, and even take their measurements at one point, is any indication.

Even Lance seems to be getting in on the action because, when Takashi goes to his room to borrow his headphones (they’re technically Pidge’s but the group has been functioning on a ‘what’s mine is yours’ system for years now), he finds Lance rambling to someone on a miniature holo-screen while operating what looks like the Altean equivalent of a sewing machine.

“...and then my mom pulled into the driveway and ordered— _Shiro!_ ” Lance shrieks upon catching him at the door.

Before Takashi can apologize for startling him, Lance jumps out of his chair and throws his blanket over the sewing machine, obscuring his project from view. “Uh, is this a bad time?” Takashi asks meekly. 

“No, but you almost spoiled your surprise,” Lance huffs, folding his arms over his chest.

“My surprise?” 

“ _For your wedding, of course_ ,” Lotor’s voice chimes in from the holo-screen by the wall. The young emperor is wearing casual robes instead of the armour Takashi is so accustomed to seeing on him and looks far more relaxed than he’s ever seen him. He catches a glimpse of a bed in the background; the whole scene is strikingly domestic and intimate.

A faint blush spreads across Lance’s cheeks but he doesn’t look away from Takashi’s curious gaze or freak out like he normally does whenever someone confronts him about his ‘not-relationship’ with Lotor. _Huh_. “Hello, Lotor, was there something you needed?”

Lotor’s eyes flicker in Lance’s direction and—Takashi doesn't think he’s ever seen them soften like this. Or ever. It’s enough that the part of Takashi’s monkey brain that automatically screams “predator!” every time he sees those eyes actually pauses, tilts its head, and reconsiders. He feels a little off-kilter.

Lotor answers, “ _No, nothing like that, I just called to have a chat with Lance_.”

“Is there something _you_ wanted?” Lance clears his throat.

“Just your headphones, please.”

He disappears into his closet and quickly returns with the headphones. “Now go, shoo,” he says, dropping them in Takashi’s hands. “You're getting married in less than a month and I’ve still got tons of work to do until your surprise is ready.”

Takashi smirks at him. “But it’s my wedding,” he whines playfully. “Can’t you at least give me a hint?”

“Take it up with your _fiancé_ ,” Lance retorts as he shuts the door in Takashi’s face.

_...Huh._

* * *

That night while washing the dishes with Keith, Takashi casually says, “So, Lance tells me he’s working on something for the wedding. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”

Keith doesn’t even look up from his task of drying a single plate. “Maybe I do,” he says, just as casually, “but that’s for me to know and you to find out like everyone else three weeks from now.”

Despite Takashi’s curiosity, he drops it, because he knows he’ll only meet a dead end if he continues. Keith’s stubbornness can be irritating sometimes but it’s also one of the countless things Takashi loves about him, so he can’t really complain.

They continue their chore in comfortable silence, which is occasionally broken by metal cutlery clinking against each other. Whenever they brush against each other, Keith pauses and smiles at Takashi, all softness and warmth like the sun at dusk. And if Takashi goes a little out of his way to make that happen more than should be natural, considering how enormous the kitchen is, well, that will be their little secret.

* * *

They take down the base with relative ease and no one even needs medical attention. Takashi thinks this must be what a proud parent feels like.

* * *

“No, Matt, Shiro and I don’t want or need a bachelor party and I will stab you if you even try to plan one behind our backs.”

* * *

Time, Takashi finds, moves very strangely when you’re in space.

One day, he’s Takashi Shirogane, a simple Garrison pilot. The next, he’s Takashi Shirogane, Paladin of Voltron and one of the defenders of the universe. And he still sometimes catches himself wondering when someone’s going to pull the rug out from under him.

That’s a little like how he feels now as he’s being dragged out of his room by Matt and Pidge while Lance, Hunk, and Allura wrestle Keith out of bed. “If I knew you assholes were going to be like this, I would’ve just eloped,” Keith complains, only half-seriously.

“We still can, you know,” Takashi calls over his shoulder as Matt bodily shoves him out the door.

He hears Allura snarl, “Don’t you dare! I put too much effort into this wedding for either of you to ruin it for me, so you _will_ be at the altar in three vargas even if I have to drag you both there myself.” Out of all of them, Allura had probably been the most thrilled about the wedding. She may be the leader of the most powerful coalition force in the universe but she’s still a princess at heart and had revelled in the planning like she was born for it (which, well, she was).

And, because Takashi’s mama didn’t raise an idiot, he keeps his mouth shut.

His friends unceremoniously shove him into a spare bedroom in another wing, shutting the door behind them as they do so. Outside, he can hear Coran loudly directing what sounds like an army of people to various spots in the Castle. They’re most likely the caterers and other people he and Hunk hired to help with the wedding. Their guests should be arriving in two vargas.

Matt dives into a nearby closet and Takashi can hear him mutter, “God, I hope this fits, otherwise Lance is going to have a meltdown.”

“What?” Takashi asks dumbly. 

Matt emerges seconds later carrying two long robes, one black and the other grey. Takashi squints and tilts his head. They look like—

“Is that a _montsuki_ and _hakama_?” he gasps. He runs his hand down the fabric. It doesn’t look exactly like his father’s own wedding kimono but the texture and style are undeniably modeled after it.

“Yeah,” Matt answers. “Keith sketched the design and Lance was the one who sewed them. We know it’s not a hundred percent accurate but—”

“It’s perfect,” Takashi breathes, holding the two pieces up in awe. Having this connection to his parents today didn’t even occur to him, but he’s so, _so_ grateful that his family had thought of it. His heart suddenly feels too big for his chest at this act of kindness.

Pidge nudges him, grinning at him fondly. “Well, go on. Let’s see how it looks.”

Takashi slips into the bathroom to put it on, declining Matt offer to help. The kimono is a little tight around his shoulders but he still has enough give and mobility that he’s not worried about accidentally tearing it. He inspects himself in the mirror and gasps when a nearly unrecognizable man looks back at him.

He’s spent so many years seeing himself as a tin soldier only playing at a war too big to comprehend that he never really entertained the possibility that he could be anything else. But his reflection tells a different story: he survived and, more importantly, he’s _thriving_. He doesn’t think he will ever stop feeling like his body is too big for his bones but he thinks his parents could be proud of the man their son is now. He thinks, more confidently, that they would have fallen just as in love with Keith as their son has.

When he comes out of the bathroom, Matt and Pidge are staring at him, stunned. “Well? How do I look?” he asks with a tremor in his voice.

Pidge whistles. “Dude, you look awesome!”

Matt gives him a thumbs up and a wink. “Keith’s gonna eat his heart out.”

* * *

Allura and Coran meet them just outside the entrance to the great hall.

Like Pidge, a seemingly endless number of intricate braids criss cross Allura’s hair, all of them held together by beautiful golden pins shaped like stars. Both of them are wearing matching ivory gowns covered in diamond lace patterns; in Takashi’s opinion, they look like they belong in a high-end fashion magazine. Even the mice, riding on Allura’s shoulders, are dressed up in adorable little costumes and wearing tiaras made out of pieces of Allura’s old jewellery.

Coran is wearing a distinguishing Altean full dress uniform, looking every bit the royal advisor they sometimes forget he is. Matt’s ivory suit is simple in comparison but no less elegant.

From Takashi’s vantage point, he can see that the hall, now decorated with beautiful exotic flowers and fairylights, is completely packed with a mix of Coalition allies, Blade members, and Empire soldiers. He catches a glimpse of Sam and Colleen Holt having what seems to be a very passionate conversation with an Olkarion he recognizes as Ryner’s successor.

Lance, Krolia, and Nate are standing at the entrance directly opposite of him, but their backs are turned to him, blocking Keith from view. Takashi just barely manages to get a peek of the top of his head and his heart jumps to his throat. _This is it_.

“Ready?” Allura asks, holding up a metal band and a plain unlit paper lantern. Her smile is warm and patient.

Takashi squares his shoulders and nods. “As I’ll ever be.”

He’s thrown into darkness as she places it over his eyes and ears, clasping it shut with an ominous ‘click!’. He feels her guide his hands around the lantern. It’s about the size of a laptop but is featherlight. He knows Keith should be getting the same treatment right about now, only he’ll be getting a candle instead of a lantern. 

Despite the band muting the sound around him, he can still hear Coran’s muffled voice. “Ladies, gentlemen, and all in between! Thank you for being here today to celebrate the union between Takashi Shirogane and Keith Kogane, the Black and Red Paladins of Voltron.” The hall bursts into applause and Coran has to wait a few ticks before continuing. “The ceremony will be initiated through an Altean ritual…”

Takashi tunes him out to steady his breathing, having heard the explanation already. According to Allura, the ritual will begin as soon as he and Keith step into the hall, which will activate their ‘blindfolds’ to temporarily disrupt their hearing in addition to their sight. From there, they both have to find their way to each other through a crowded room of people without any help except for what Allura called their “inner bond”. The ritual will end once they successfully light the lantern together.

“...Let us begin!” Coran practically screams, galvanizing the guests into a roar.

A massive hand pats him on his shoulder. “Good luck,” Hunk’s voice tells him.

Multiple hands guide him towards the hall, stopping just at the threshold.

Takashi exhales deeply, takes a step over it, and—suddenly, he hears nothing, not even the sound of his own breathing.

He nearly trips on the floor but a pair of gentle hands steady him. They disappear too quickly for him to even begin to guess who they belong to but he gives his thanks anyway, even if he can’t hear his own voice.

He drops his shoulders, straightens his spine, and simply breathes. “It’s like the Paladin mindmelding exercise,” Allura had explained, “just concentrate on your bond with Keith and your senses will do the rest.”

 _Yeah, but we never had to mindmeld in front of an audience before_ , thinks Takashi. Especially not when he can _feel_ thousands and thousands of eyes on him now, watching his every move. He supposes his only consolation is that he can’t see them.

It helps a little to know that Keith is going through the same thing so he isn’t alone, but it still takes him a few ticks before he feels ready enough to begin the process. He summons an image of Keith to his mind. It’s easy enough; the last time he saw him was just this morning, glaring groggily at his surroundings as if the universe was personally at fault for waking him up while his hair—which he’d put up in a messy ponytail the night before—was sticking out everywhere in a wild tangle, just begging for Takashi to card his fingers through it.

Next—and this is apparently the hardest part—he thinks about their bond.

He thinks about the moment he first fell in love with a boy called Keith Kogane—not because he was a talented pilot or even because he was good looking. It was because he saw Takashi as just...Takashi.

He thinks about all the sacrifices they both had to make to get here and his throat tightens. Because ~~a lot of the time~~ sometimes, he still can’t help feeling like the universe is trying its best to take everything he loves, one by one, until there is nothing left but a fragmented soul.

But then he’d force himself to breathe, gather all the battered puzzle pieces that form the Takashi-shaped shell he inhabits ( _My name is Takashi Shirogane, I’m a Paladin of Voltron and pilot of the Black Lion. I was born in San Francisco. My home is the Castle of Lions. My name is Takashi Shirogane._ ), and look for the other half of his heart.

And, as if he can read Takashi’s mind, Keith is always there with soft, kind eyes and a small but warm smile reserved only for him. His eyes still hold a fire that can easily burn down everything in its path but it resembles a hearth fire more than an inferno nowadays, always ready to welcome Takashi home.

 _I’m here_ , Keith’s body will say without actually speaking. _I’m here, I found you, and I’m never letting you go again._

[ Yeah, the universe can try its damn hardest to take everything that Takashi treasures away from him, but it’ll never have _this_. ](https://youtu.be/8MWglxkw1y4?t=3m21s)

A glowing red pathway suddenly appears in Takashi’s mind’s eye, snaking through the darkness like a fault line and leading him further into the abyss, the great unknown. Takashi swallows and begins to follow it.

He doesn’t know which direction he’s going or even how much time has passed until he reaches the end of the path, where a white orb is floating in the air like a firefly. As if waiting for something.

 _Waiting for me_ , Takashi realizes. He knows enough about Altean magic that he doesn’t question it when the thought comes to him.

Still, he takes a breath before tentatively stretching his left hand out while holding onto the lantern with his prosthetic. The orb doesn’t radiate warmth like he expects. When his fingers brush against it, it instantly vanishes and he feels like he’s been struck by a bolt of lightning starting from his fingertips, up his arm, and straight to his heart.

He stumbles back with a gasp but, when nothing else happens for a couple ticks, he realizes that he isn’t hurt.

“Shiro?” Keith’s voice echoes in his mind hesitantly. “Is that you?”

He sounds like he’s standing right in front of Takashi. Takashi starts to nod before remembering that he can’t see him and breathes, “Yeah, sweetheart, I’m here.”

He raises his hand again and reaches forward until he feels skin against it. Invisible but familiar slim fingers slip between his—they’re warm. Instinct tells him to lift his lantern, so he does. 

He can’t help smiling fondly when he hears Keith curse his candle before he feels an invisible hand jostle the lantern. Shortly afterwards, a tiny white ball of flame sparks to life from within it, illuminating a slew of Altean characters that Takashi _knows_ weren’t there before.

Suddenly, he hears a ‘click!’ and the metal band falls away, revealing Keith’s stunned face only inches away from him.

A deafening cheer erupts from their audience but Takashi tunes them out as he drinks in the sight of the man he loves standing in front of him. Keith is wearing a kimono as well, except his is red and grey. 

Keith smiles up at him and squeezes his hand. “Hey there, stranger,” he says softly.

Takashi smiles back and thinks, _I’m home_.

* * *

The rest of the ceremony is relatively uneventful in comparison, but no less memorable. 

Coran, as the officiant, recites a translated Altean poem about bonds, destiny, and love that elicits a sniffle from Allura. At the older man’s cue, Takashi and Keith say their vows (Takashi’s is written on a scrap piece of paper torn from one of Pidge’s notebooks; Keith’s is scrawled on the palm of his hand).

They exchange rings. The one Keith gives him is a simple light gold and silver band entwined together like rope. Lance and Hunk, both of whom are wearing simple burgundy red suits that match Keith’s kimono, start crying openly.

When Coran declares that they may kiss, a wicked grin on Keith’s face is Takashi’s only warning before the shorter man pulls him down and dips him in a kiss in front of _everyone_. The standing ovation they receive lasts for three full dobashes. 

They move to the dining hall for the reception. Once the first course has been served, Matt gives his best man’s speech, which is basically a retelling of the time Takashi roped him into helping him sneak into the Garrison kitchens to make chicken soup for a sick Keith during midterms. “It was a disaster,” Matt says solemnly in the ensuing laughter. “But honestly, if that isn’t love, then what is?”

One by one, the rest of the team gives their own ‘speeches’ (but are really just stories of Takashi and Keith’s most embarrassing moments together). Even Keith looks like he’s about to cry from laughing so hard by the time Coran finishes his much lighter retelling of the time Keith thought he could take on Zarkon on his own while Takashi was, quote unquote, “as weak and defenseless as a lone yelmore.”

Afterwards, as their food is being cleared away, Pidge taps her bracelet and upbeat music flows out from the Castle intercom. Takashi immediately pulls Keith to the dance floor and everyone quickly follows suit. 

One varga later, a slower song begins to play and Takashi sways along to the tune with his husband in his arms.

 _His husband_ —he can definitely get used to that.

“What are you thinking about?” asks Keith, gazing up at him like he just found the most precious treasure in the universe. Takashi is pretty sure he has the same look on his face as well. 

He looks over Keith’s shoulder, drinking in the sight of his family and friends dancing around him. Hunk laughs, freely and unabashedly, as Shay twirls him effortlessly with one hand. Coran and Allura are steering Pidge through a complicated dance move, all three of them radiating a kind of happiness and carefreeness that hadn’t been present when Takashi first met them five years ago. Matt is flirting outrageously with a Blade and, miracle of miracles, judging by the Galra’s amused grin, it looks like he might not even strike out this time. Lance is a little harder to find but Takashi eventually spots him dancing with Lotor. Their bodies are pressed so closely together that Lotor’s curtain of hair partially covers Lance’s face, as if hiding them in their own galaxy where nothing else exists but them.

He’s flooded with fierce, overwhelming love for his family. And they _are_ his family, even if they aren't tied together by blood and drive him a little crazy sometimes. But isn’t that what family is supposed to be at the end of it all? An imperfect, chaotic, wonderful mess? 

“I’m thinking that this wasn’t exactly what I imagined my wedding would be like when I was a kid,” Takashi answers.

“I’d be shocked if it was,” Keith chuckles. “So? How does the reality compare?”

Takashi suddenly recalls a quote he read from one of his father’s favourite books when he was a child: _I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, "If this isn't nice, I don't know what is."_

So he brings his lips close to Keith’s ears and whispers those words to the man he loves. And it’s a truth he’ll carry with him for the rest of his life.

**Author's Note:**

> (The title was inspired by the lyrics of [_Falling Faster_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgYaYHiNjdI) by Andrew Ripp while the quote at the end was taken from Kurt Vonnegut's _A Man Without A Country_.)
> 
> Please feel free to come yell at me about all things Voltron at my tumblr sideblog [@oricnde](http://oricnde.tumblr.com), and about anything else at my main [@britomarttis](http://britomarttis.tumblr.com)!


End file.
